A Palestinian Engagement Session: Rawan + Moatez

When discussing what makes them unique, we came up with the thoughts of picnic (the greatest food bloggers in the UAE ladies and gentleman!)! With it, we wanted to represent Rawan and Moatez’s identities and personalities - and soon realized, it’s their heritage and culture that plays a huge part of their lives.

This thought intrigues me a lot and I believe it's important to remember where we come from to understand who we are. For those of you who know me, I am a stickler for traditions. And if you don’t, Hi, I am Nabeela, a wedding photographer that is a stickler for traditions!

And thus, after a few conversations, the idea was born. Our engagement session was going to pay homage to their roots but in the city they grew up, Abu Dhabi. And what other way can we do it besides through a fantastic Palestinian theme spread?

Rawan wore a modern take on the handmade thobe, the bedrock of Palestinian textile artistry. Since the Nakba, when an estimated 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from Palestine (present day, Israel) in 1948, the Palestinian thobe became the symbol for Palestinian women that helps them keep a connection with their land. Adorned with hand-stitched embroidery that tells many a tale of families and their history, the Palestinian thobe can take months of handiwork. It differs from region to region and is passed down through generations. Recorded on it are the stories of families and history without which the future cannot be written.

“There are many designs of Palestinian thobe depending on the area it comes from. There are different styles between thobes from coastal areas or mountainous areas,” Alghosain said, TRT World.

On Mutez's shoulders rests the keffiyeh, a chequered, black and white traditional headdress that is usually worn around the neck or head. Although various versions of the keffiyeh can be seen in the Arab world, the Palestinian keffiyehs has become a symbol of Palestinian nationalism dating back to the Arab revolt in 1936 against British rule. During that time, many rebels wore it to conceal their identities as they fought for freedom and many civilians wore it to conceal them.

The Keffiyeh was worn to protect workers from the harsh sun in summers and cold wind in winters. Eventually as civilization prospered, it became the sign for peasants during the Ottoman Empire when the keffiyeh was replaced by the ‘Tarboosh’ to separate the upper class.

As the fight for our freedom and voices continue, it’s important to remember where we come from and who we are. We don’t need to belong to a race to be human, because in fact, aren’t we from the human race?